“You’re still recovering and you’re sore. I’ve got it.”
She thanked him again but he waved her off. “You can do dishes tomorrow.”
Her heart thumped. “Tomorrow? I thought you were taking me to the police station today.”
He jerked his head toward the window. “Can’t. We’re snowed in, I’m afraid. We aren’t going anywhere for a couple of days.”
Chapter Four
Libby was a talker. Jared had thought maybe last night was simply nerves and disorientation from her accident, but she showed no signs of stopping today. She kept up a running commentary on the snow coming down outside, her own state of mind as she tried on and discarded several scenarios for how she’d come to be on the road to the cabin last night—none of which involved a violent boyfriend, he noted—and the books he’d laid out on the coffee table. He’d brought five physical books, two of which were on the table, and he had more on his phone because you couldn’t carry a whole library in your duffel bag.
He’d wanted her to be comfortable with him, and she clearly was. He was glad of that, even if he wasn’t used to the constant chatter.
Jared finished her laundry and she hobbled to the bedroom to dress. He didn’t like that she was still in pain, but at least she was improving. When she finally returned, she had on the jacket too.
“Are you cold?”
“Not right now, I’m not.”
He went into his room and retrieved a quilted flannel shirt anyway. “You can wear this instead of the jacket if you like. It’ll be warmer and cover more.”
She seemed to hesitate a second. “Okay, thanks.”
She discarded the jacket and slipped into his shirt, shoving the sleeves up and sighing. “Oh, this is warm. The best. Really, I love flannel. I mean I think I do.” She tilted her head. “What if everything I think I love is really something I hate? What if I’m completely wrong about everything?”
Her mouth was off to the races again. He had half a mind to shut it with his own. The fact it was a colossally bad idea was all that stopped him. It would shut her up, sure. But it would entangle him in something he didn’t need. Her either if someone was out there looking for her.
And if she was a Gemini agent running a con, it was an especially bad idea. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what that con might be, which made the whole thing unlikely. On the other hand, it wasn’t impossible and he wasn’t letting down his guard entirely.
“You might be wrong,” he said. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
“Easy for you to say. You know who you are. What you like.” She turned and looked out the window, folding her arms over her chest. “We’re really stuck here, aren’t we?”
“For the time being.”
“I wish I had clothes. I’ll be washing my panties in the sink every night.”
She bit off the last word as if suddenly embarrassed. He’d noticed that she’d had red cheeks when he’d dropped her laundry in the wash. Like she’d been mortified that he’d handled her underwear.
He’d done it without thinking, but he’d definitely noticed once he had his hand on the scrap of lace and cotton. Her sports bra was nothing sexy but her panties had a lacy behind that made him think of her ass cheeks and how they’d show. In fact, the only fabric was the scrap that covered the front. The rest was see-through, and that had his imagination working overtime.
It was still working, damn him.
Been a while since he’d had any pussy. A couple of months at least. Not from lack of availability. He’d had plenty of opportunities. He just hadn’t taken them. It happened that way sometimes. He got caught up in work and surviving and he let it go. He didn’t want to play the game, flirt and pursue and talk and drink and pursue some more until they finally got naked together.
He wasn’t pursuing Libby, but he’d been thinking about her ass in lace all morning. She had a generous ass. Plump and shapely, with the kind of cheeks a man could hold onto while he fucked her from behind. He wanted to grab handfuls while he sank into her.
Jared shifted to give his growing cock relief from the press of his jeans. “I’ve got some sweatshirts you can borrow. Can’t help with the underwear though.”
She turned and frowned. Her hair was loose, long and thick as it brushed over her shoulders. It was dark blond, but there were hints of caramel in it. Probably from the salon.
“I guess the storm could be over tomorrow and I’ll be on the way home. I shouldn’t complain.”
“Complain all you like.”
She strolled over and sat on the couch opposite the one he was on, pulling her legs beneath her and wrapping her arms around her knees. She seemed small and vulnerable when she did that. “I hate not knowing. It makes me feel like I have no control.”
Jared picked up the remote. He knew what it was like not to have any control over your life. It sucked. “Let’s look at the noon news. Maybe there’s something about a missing person.”
He doubted it since Ian hadn’t called, but it would give Libby something to hope for. The broadcast blared to life and Jared closed his book. He wasn’t getting anywhere with Libby constantly chattering at him anyway.
They watched the news, but there was no mention of a missing woman or an accident. He left the television on afterward though it was a soap opera. If it kept her distracted, then good.
But the program kept freezing, finally blanking out entirely.
“What happened?” she asked.
“It’s the weather. It’s interfering with the satellite.”
She looked worriedly at the windows. “What if we’re stuck here for days?”
“We’ve got food and shelter. We’ll be good.”
Though he wasn’t going to get any quiet time with her around, that’s for sure. He was glad she wasn’t so traumatized she didn’t speak though. He’d lived through the aftermath of his dad’s rages and he remembered his mom sitting in a chair, staring at nothing. Then she got up and got back to cleaning house or making dinner, not speaking a word for hours. He’d wanted to fix everything for her, but he was too small back then to make a difference.
Libby picked up the book he’d given her with a sigh. She’d found a pair of reading glasses in the bedside table in her room and she put them on. “Guess there’s nothing to do but read then.”
“Guess so.”
Jared opened his book, though he kept glancing at her over the top of it. She frowned at the pages, turning them steadily and muttering to herself from time to time. He wanted to laugh, but didn’t. Worse, he wanted to ask her what the problem was. Which meant they’d be talking again and he wouldn’t get any of that quiet he craved.
He looked at the page he was supposed to be reading and forced himself to concentrate. He’d barely gotten through two pages when his ears picked up the dull buzz of a motor in the distance. He strained to listen.
Correction, two motors. Snowmobiles, probably.
Shit, what he wouldn’t give for one of those right about now. The motors echoed in the woods like two chainsaws, coming closer as the minutes ticked by. Libby finally noticed.
“Someone’s out there,” she said.
“I’m aware.”
“I…” She swallowed. Her face was a little pale.
His senses went on high alert. “What?”
“I-I don’t know.”
Jared got to his feet and retrieved his jacket. “Stay inside. Don’t show your face no matter what happens, you got that?”
She hunched on the couch, legs beneath her, looking as if she were trying to make herself even smaller. “What’s going to happen? It’s probably teenagers having fun or something.”
“Nothing’s going to happen. Just stay inside and don’t make a sound. It might be the rental company coming to check on me,” he added, though he didn’t think anything of the sort. “If they know I’ve got a guest, they’ll charge me more.”
Libby made a face. “Oh my god, you’re a cheapskate.”
<
br /> “That’s right. So keep it zipped.”
Jared closed the door behind him as he stepped outside, the weight of the Glock in the hidden holster at his waist reassuring. He didn’t discount the fact that Libby could still be conning him, but her fear had seemed real enough. If she was on the up and up, then her gut could be telling her something her brain hadn’t yet admitted.
She feared being found.
Jared went out to the woodpile and gathered some logs. There were plenty inside, but it was the excuse he needed. The snowmobiles were nearly upon him when they finally came over the rise. Two men with hunting rifles slung over their shoulders. They slowed when they saw him.
“Nice day to have a snowmobile,” Jared said when they were within earshot. “Whatcha hunting?”
They came to a stop, engines idling. Both men were dressed in hunter camouflage. One had a beard and knit cap and the other wore a gaiter on the lower half of his face. He thought that one of these men could be Libby’s abusive boyfriend, assuming that was how she’d gotten hurt, but that didn’t mean he planned to admit she was here. Until he got to the bottom of what’d happened to her, he wasn’t handing her over to anyone.
“Wild boar,” one of the men said. “You see any?”
“Nope, sure haven’t. Saw a small herd of deer earlier. They went east, into those woods.”
“This your place?” the one with the gaiter asked. A little too curiously, Jared thought.
“Rented it for the week.”
“You alone?” bearded guy asked casually. He had piggish eyes in a broad face and he stared at Jared like he was looking for trouble. Jared didn’t like him on sight, but that wasn’t a good enough reason to shoot him. Yet.
He thought about saying he was with his girlfriend, but something about these two pinged his trouble meter. Didn’t mean anything, but the fact he’d found Libby bleeding and hurt last night, and these men were here today asking if he was alone—well, he hadn’t lived through as many missions as he had by being oblivious to the undercurrents. A boyfriend would at least pretend to be frantic to find her. An abductor not so much.
“Yep. My fucking wife ran off with my best friend so I’m up here alone rather than ending up on the news for double murder, you know?”
Gaiter-man nodded. “Yeah. That’s rough, dude.”
“Thanks.” Jared tossed a couple of logs into a pile. “Just gonna drink and watch movies today. Not sure about tomorrow. Maybe in a week I won’t want to kill them.”
After a short conversation about fickle women and the weather, the men rode away. They didn’t mention Libby at all, but that didn’t mean he thought they were legit. Even if they weren’t looking for her, they weren’t harmless hunters out for a bit of sport. Jared kept gathering logs until he was certain the engines had faded in the distance. He listened in case one cut out and one kept going, but there were two engines the entire time. Which meant they weren’t doubling back.
At least not yet.
He’d given them no reason not to believe him, but that didn’t mean he trusted they were gone for good.
Chapter Five
“Who were they?” Libby asked when Jared returned.
He closed the door behind him and locked it. “Hunters.”
He went around to all the windows and closed the curtains, including over the large picture window where she’d been staring out at the snow. The windows were two stories, however, and light still came in from the top ones. But the serene view was gone and that made her anxiety spike.
“Why did you close the blinds if they were hunters?”
He fixed her with a look. “Why did you get scared when you heard the snowmobiles?”
“I don’t know. I just—I don’t know how I got here, and that bothers me.”
“It’s more than that, Libby. You don’t know how you got here, but you know deep down that something isn’t right about the situation.”
Her mouth was dry. Her heart pounded. Was he right? She feared he was. When she’d heard those engines, her adrenaline spiked. She’d wanted to run and hide, but she’d convinced herself she was being silly. Why would she need to hide from anyone?
I don’t know why. But I do.
Libby shivered. “If you’re right, why am I not scared of you?”
“I helped you when you needed it. You can trust me and you know it.”
“I don’t know anything about you. Not really.”
He flopped into his chair and shifted his book from the arm to the side table. “You know I’m a combat medic. You know I like to read, that I know how to do laundry, and I make a mean breakfast. I also make lunch and dinner, by the way. What else do you need?”
“You forgot cheapskate,” she said primly.
He laughed. “That’s right.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.”
“Where are you from?”
“Everywhere and nowhere.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I don’t claim any place in particular. My dad was in the Air Force and I was born in Germany, but we moved a lot.” He shrugged. “That’s the fate of most military brats, really. From everywhere and nowhere.”
Libby considered that. If things were normal, she’d be telling him about herself. She’d looked in the mirror and she knew she wasn’t old. But she didn’t know her age. She also knew she was passably pretty, but nothing spectacular. She was shapely but not thin, with a big butt and reasonably sized boobs. Probably a B-cup. She didn’t know for sure because all she had was a sports bra and that didn’t have a cup size.
All she knew about herself was what she could see. The rest was frustratingly blank.
She circled back to her original question. “Why did you close the blinds?”
“Because I told those guys I was alone. I don’t want them getting a glimpse of you through a window.”
“You think they’re looking for me?”
He seemed to consider it. “I don’t know. Probably not, but we can’t be too careful.”
“Why didn’t you just tell them I was your girlfriend or something?” Surely that would have been easier even if it wasn’t true.
“What if they asked to see you? Or forced their way in here because I had a female companion and they’re looking for a missing female? If they’re looking for you, but didn’t tell me that up front, then they don’t have your best interests at heart. A relative or friend would have led with that because they’re frantic to find you.”
Her heart thumped. “I didn’t think of it that way. I’m kind of amazed you did.”
“Goes with the job.”
“Combat medics are a suspicious lot then?” She was trying to inject a bit of humor, mostly for herself, but he didn’t take the bait.
“No. Combat operatives are.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “Is there a war going on?”
“There’s always a war somewhere.”
Libby sighed. “You’re just full of sunshine, aren’t you?”
“You asked. I’m keeping it real. Human beings are pathologically motivated to fight about things. Sometimes it turns violent.”
He sounded almost angry when he said that. Libby nodded toward the books on the table. “Maybe you need to read something besides books about the NSA and CIA. Something funny or happy.”
He picked one up and looked at the cover. “This is interesting. Not reading it won’t change reality.”
“No, but it might make you happier.”
“I doubt that.” He kicked back and opened the tome. “Might as well get some reading done. It’s going to be a long day without satellite.”
Libby stared morosely. “Do you have anything else besides this book on Lyndon Johnson?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t like to learn things, but the book wasn’t exactly entertaining.
Jared got up and disappeared into his bedroom. When he came back, he held out a book.
Libby read the titl
e.“War and Peace. I’m sensing a theme here.”
“You asked for something different. It’s the only novel I’ve got. Take it or leave it.”
Libby took it. She spent two hours reading about the French invasion of Russia during the Napoleonic wars. It wasn’t a bad story, but it wasn’t uplifting either. Naturally. She glanced at Jared. He turned pages regularly, but he hadn’t said a word. His phone pinged occasionally. He picked it up, glanced at the screen, then set it down again. A couple of times he tapped out a reply.
The last time it pinged, he stood and went over to the window. “Snow’s coming down harder. The weather app says it won’t stop until tomorrow.” He shrugged into his coat. “I’m going to get more wood and check the generator just in case we lose power.”
“You think we will?”
The lights flickered as if to illustrate the point. “I think it’s possible,” he said, looking up at the ceiling. “Best to be prepared.”
She set the book aside. “What can I do?”
“You could fix lunch if you feel up to it.”
She was a bit stiff and her muscles ached, but sitting didn’t help anything. “I think moving around would be good for me. Not that I know if I can cook, but what the hell? We’ll either have something yummy or I’ll set the place on fire.”
Jared fixed her with those piercing blue eyes. “Try not to hurt yourself—and try not to start a fire.”
“Of course I’ll try.”
“Libby.”
She rolled her eyes. He was so serious all the time. “I’m kidding, Jared. I think I can manage not to start a fire. Really.”
He hesitated a moment. When he walked out the door, he was muttering under his breath.
Chapter Six
“That smells good.”
Jared took off his jacket and hung it on the peg by the door. He’d been outside for about half an hour, gathering wood to bring to the front porch and making sure the generator was operational. There was gasoline in the shed and a full tank, so he wasn’t worried about losing power. The generator was small, but it would run the lights and refrigerator. The heat would have to be shut down, but that’s why they had a fireplace.
Black Knight (A Black's Bandits Novel): HOT Heroes for Hire: Mercenaries Page 4
